Biden Builds Polling Lead in Battleground States, With Strength Among White Voters  —  NYT UPSHOT/  —  SIENA COLLEGE POLL  —  Joe Biden holds a strong lead among registered voters in six battleground states carried by Donald Trump in 2016.  —  2016 Result NYT/Siena  —  Michigan  —  Trump

Why Did the Washington Post Get This Woman Fired?  —  Last week, when Sue Schafer learned that the Washington Post planned to publish a story about one of the dumbest things she had ever done, she had the same question that many readers would have about the resulting 3,000-word article …

She Wanted to Be a Republican President.  She's Voting for Biden.  —  Republicans who say Donald Trump should lose in November but insist they won't vote for Joe Biden aren't being honest, Carly Fiorina argues.  —  Fiorina was a Republican candidate for president just four years ago …

The coronavirus surge is real, and it's everywhere  —  The coronavirus pandemic is getting dramatically worse in almost every corner of the U.S.  —  The big picture: The U.S. today is getting closer to the worst-case scenario envisioned in the spring — a nationwide crisis …

Treasury sent more than 1 million coronavirus stimulus payments to dead people, congressional watchdog finds  —  The checks sent to dead people as of April 30 totaled nearly $1.4 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office  —  The federal government sent coronavirus stimulus payments …

How the Virus Won  —  Invisible outbreaks sprang up everywhere.  The United States ignored the warning signs.  We analyzed travel patterns, hidden infections and genetic data to show how the epidemic spun out of control.  —  Invisible outbreaks sprang up everywhere.  The United States ignored the warning signs.

The dirty secret behind Ben Shapiro's extraordinary success on Facebook  —  Founder of The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro.  (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)  —  The success of The Daily Wire, the website run by right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro, on Facebook is mind-boggling.

Trump won't follow New Jersey quarantine mandate during upcoming trip  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump will not abide by a new travel advisory in New Jersey requiring a quarantine period for visitors from coronavirus hotspots when he visits his Bedminster golf club this weekend.

Trump Brother Was in ICU Just Before Filing Suit Over Tell-All  —  Robert Trump, Donald's younger brother, spent at least 10 days in a neuro intensive care unit just before launching legal action to stop the publication of his niece's book.  —  Robert Trump, Donald's younger brother …

New research explores how conservative media misinformation may have intensified the severity of the pandemic  —  The three studies paint a picture of a media ecosystem that entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking steps to protect themselves and others

Poll Shows Trump Dragging Down G.O.P. Senate Candidates  —  Tomorrow: How voters see Mr. Biden's possible vice presidential choices.

Dozens of Secret Service officers and agents told to self-quarantine after Trump's Tulsa rally  —  Dozens of Secret Service officers and agents who were on site for President Trump's rally in Tulsa last week were ordered to self-quarantine after two of their colleagues tested positive …

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice forces out top health official, questions accuracy of coronavirus data amid outbreaks  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice forced out the commissioner of his public health bureau on Wednesday, hours after he publicly questioned the accuracy …

The 3 most populous states are breaking coronavirus records, leading to fears of ‘apocalyptic’ surges  —  (CNN)The three most populous states set records for new coronavirus cases daily and there are fears of “apocalyptic” surges in major Texas cities if the trend continues.

NASA will name its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first African American female engineer  —  (CNN)NASA is renaming its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first African American female engineer who helped inspire the story behind the book and film “Hidden Figures.”

U.S. Marshals told to prepare to help protect monuments nationwide as Trump targets people who vandalize structures during protests  —  U.S. Marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect national monuments across the country, according to an email directive viewed by The Washington Post …

The 6 Trump Bombshells Still Waiting to Explode  —  We have known since nearly the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency that he believes his first attorney general was a dangerous idiot.  We have known for nearly as long that his first secretaries of state and defense think the same thing about Trump.

Black Lives Matter leader states if US 'doesn't give us what we want, then we will burn down this system'  —  Greater New York Black Lives Matter president Hawk Newsome joined “The Story” Wednesday to discuss the direction of the movement in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody …

Conservative Principles Never Require You to Submit to Tyranny  —  There's a basic rule that far too many conservatives ignore: if some alleged conservative principle makes you less free, then it's not a good conservative principle and you should toss it in the trash.

Here's The Good COVID-19 News That's Being Buried By The Press  —  Once again, the U.S. is undergoing a media-driven COVID-19 scare after a “spike” in infections.  But as we noted earlier this week, the number of cases depends on the amount of testing.  The key gauge to watch is deaths.

All the worrisome things happening at the DOJ could be just the tip of the iceberg  —  To adapt the famous Watergate query to this moment, what don't we know about the Justice Department, and why don't we know it?  The answers are, in turn: probably a lot.  And: because Attorney General William P. Barr …

The Supreme Court could soon allow Trump's expansion of deportations to go unchecked  —  It's the biggest immigration case that no one is paying attention to.  —  One of the few remaining cases at the Supreme Court this term could have sweeping, immediate implications for the immigration enforcement system …

Can We Call Trump a Killer?  —  There is no way to remove his culpability in the neglectful handling of the coronavirus.  —  The coronavirus pandemic is still raging in this country.  In fact, in more than 20 states, the number of cases is rising.  More than 120,000 Americans have died from the virus.

How the Philadelphia Police Tear-Gassed a Group of Trapped Protesters  —  On June 1, SWAT teams turned a protest march in Philadelphia into chaos.  We went to the site, interviewed witnesses and analyzed dozens of videos to reconstruct what happened.  —  Killing Khashoggi: How a Brutal Saudi Hit Job Unfolded

D.C. statehood vote to make history in the House — and that's about all  —  WASHINGTON — The House on Friday is expected to pass historic Washington D.C. statehood legislation, marking the most farthest step towards representation for the District of Columbia's 700,000 residents.

Trump team looks to prevent a Tulsa-style debacle in Jacksonville  —  President Donald Trump wasn't the only one thrown off course by a lower-than-expected turnout at his comeback rally in Tulsa.  —  Republican officials and Trump campaign aides, some of whom have been working since last year …

Trump is headlining fireworks at Mount Rushmore.  Experts worry two things could spread: virus and wildfire.  —  National Park Service and local fire marshal officials have warned for years about dangers in resuming fireworks at the memorial  —  President Trump is planning a massive fireworks display …

MSNBC Expected to Tap Joy Reid to Anchor Daily News and Opinion Program  —  Current host of ‘AM Joy’ would fill 7 p.m. time slot vacated by Chris Matthews  —  MSNBC is expected to tap political analyst Joy Reid to anchor a 7 p.m. daily news and opinion program, people familiar with the matter said …

Black Americans say racism, policing top issues for November, favor Biden by huge margin, Post-Ipsos poll finds  —  Black Americans say racism and police conduct are the most important issues in their choice of candidates for president, are sharply critical of President Trump on both matters …

Trump's unhinged ‘treason’ accusation against Obama  —  John Avlon is a senior political analyst at CNN.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.  View more opinion on CNN.  —  (CNN)"Treason."  That's what President Donald Trump accused Barack Obama of committing in an interview …

Biden Cancer Nonprofit Paid Its Top Execs Millions.  It Spent Little to Eradicate Cancer  —  Nearly two-thirds of the money the Biden Cancer Initiative spent since its founding in 2017 went toward staff compensation and six-figure salaries for top executives.  The group spent far less on efforts to eradicate cancer.

3 North Carolina police officers fired over racist rants  —  WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Three members of a North Carolina police department have been fired after a department audit of a video recording captured one of the officers saying a civil war was necessary to wipe Black people off the map and that he was ready.

Stocks fall for a second day on continuing virus concern, worse-than-expected jobless claims  —  Stocks fell for a second day on Thursday following the release of disappointing unemployment data while traders grappled with a rising number of coronavirus cases.  —  The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 101 points lower, or 0.4%.